ESPN Mixed Martial Arts Blog

Posted by Jake Rossen

G. Newman Lowrance/Getty images

Henry Cejudo prefers to go for the gold than to try his hand at MMA.

In a move that could have some significant implications in MMA, USA Wrestling has announced an incentive program that would pay amateur grapplers a $250,000 ransom for winning a gold medal in the Olympic Games.

"MMA is growing, and it's a basic wrestling sport," gold medalist Henry Cejudo told the New York Times. "A lot of fighters are ex-wrestlers. A lot of guys take the easy way out, make quick money. This fund will keep wrestlers in wrestling."

So can we expect less ground and more pound? Maybe, maybe not. At the risk of sounding absurdly cynical, the promise of $250,000 to train for four years and still come up short doesn't compare all that favorably to what several fights and guaranteed purses for prizefighting a wrestler could amass in the same timeframe. It's also of little value to aging athletes who may already be past their Olympic prime.

The best of the best -- Cejudo, Cael Sanderson -- are already absent from fight cages and valued Olympic acknowledgment over a fight title. If anything, the compensation just reinforces their existing resolve.

Good for them. Wrestlers have been among the hardest-working, yet least-rewarded, athletes in recent memory. That kind of sacrifice and discipline should be worth more than a smelly pair of shoes.